Bias
A preference or inclination that prevents impartial judgment; a prejudice or leaning toward or against a person, group, or idea.
nounBias
A preference or inclination that prevents impartial judgment; a prejudice or leaning toward or against a person, group, or idea.
nounImagine This
You go to a toy store and see two brands of toys talking to you, 'Buy us! Don’t buy the other brands, we’re better. You know we’re better. Buy us!' Because you are prejudiced toward the 'Cold Wheel' brand, you always buy the other brand.
Sounds Like
BY-us
Looks Like
Looks like the simple word 'bias'; the letters are straightforward and easy to read
Remember This
Bias can be a natural tendency, but conscious awareness is required to make fair judgments. Government equal opportunity laws prohibit bias in employment based on race, gender, or age.
Other Forms
Connect With
prejudice, partiality, favoritism, slant, discrimination, objectivity, neutrality, impartiality
Note
Be careful not to confuse bias with objectivity; bias is a predisposition that can affect judgment. 'Biased' describes someone who holds bias.
Study Deeper
- Researchers must guard against bias in the design of their experiments.
- Her bias toward urban schools influenced her vote on education policy.
From Old French biais 'slant, oblique'; later extended to mean a predisposition or preference.
Mnemonic: BIAS stands for Belief In A Side, reminding you that bias is a leaning toward one side.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
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Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
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Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).